Renaissance and Reformation

Original Sources

1450 to 1700

copyright 1997 by Historical Novelists Center

We are starting to accumulate these!

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Hentzner, Paul

Travels in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth
***

Hentzner travelled Europe as a nobleman's tutor. This translates
the section of his time in England, during the latter years of
the reign. Too much on all the tombs and inscriptions in cathedrals,
but between those very interesting views of cities and palaces,
and a case of being lost while travelling at night. T3

Naunton, Sir Robert

Fragmenta Regalia ****

Written by a man of the court, it is a series of sketches
of the persons and personalities of Elizabeth I and her many
favorites. Very good source as to how she was never anyone's
doting pawn. T2

Pepys, Samuel

The Diary of Samuel Pepys *****!

From the days of Charles II, everything a gentleman might
jot down, from politics to plague, wigs to the Great Fire. Everyday
life with no censorship. Incredible window on the times. T2

Raleigh, Sir Walter

The Discovery of Guiana

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Websites

The full text and translation of "The Book of Quintessence"
a mid-15th century alchemical text. Bryan has a warning/disclaimer
against "dabbling around in chemistry" without training
in safe handling practices and hazardous substances, in which
this text abounds! As he points out that, like many would-be alchemists,
you, too, could wind up "hurt, crazy, or dead" from
actually performing any of the operations described -- not because
they're demonic, but because mercury et al rots the brain. T3

"Fine Literature Digitally Republished. Since 1971 putting
classic books into electronic form." You can download many
texts of the time for free, each as a single big text file. Burn
your own reference CD-R.

Halsall is collecting texts in translation, and also providing
links to other sites like Berkeley, so as not to duplicate effort.
This huge initial page links internally and externally to a list
of period works, from the late Byzantine-early Christian age to
the early Renaissance. Wonderful source, attractive without glitz,
many matrices of approach (eg, by a topic like women's roles or
by a period). This gets bigger and better all the time.